Electric switch.



N. 0. ANDERSON.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION mum mm: 23. ms.

1,102,562, Patented July 7, 1914,

\VI'DNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

-. NILS 0.- ANDERSON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

'nnno'rnrc swiicir.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July '7, 1914.

Application flledjune 23, 1913. Serial No. 775,355.

It is one of the objects of the present in-" vention to provide incombination with mul- 1ti-colored electric lights, and their respectivecircuits, a novel and simple controller or switch for intermittently andsimultaneously closing the respective light circuits, and which switchis so designed as to meet and comply with the various building-andelectrical regulations and which is operated constantlywith a minimumconsumption of power.

The invention consists of' theparts and theconstruction and combinationof parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, havingreference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is an endelevationfpiirtly broken away and in section of the improved switch andlighting circuits. Fig. 2 is aside elevaum and partial section of thesame.

The present switch is designed particularly for controlling theenergization of electrical circuits which are used in connection withilluminating apparatus, or with advertising novelties. In the presentcase the illumination is produced bydifferently coloredelectric lamps 2,which are shown as connected to a lead wire 324m one side andhavingseparate respective conductors 4 extended to, and electrically connectedwith, respective binding posts 5 which are re movably inserted througlrslots 5* provided therefor in a non-conducting support 6. The bindingposts 5 are shown ms provided at the inner surface of the support 6,which is here shown as arcuate in end elevation with slotted heads 7for'receiving the ends of circuitbrushesv 8, which are clamped in thesockets 7 by screws 9. The circuit brushes 8 are preferably of flexiblematerial and are disposed tangential to a cylindrical barrel or drum 10,and each of the brushes is provided with a suitably shaped bearing pieceor shoe 11, which shoes are successively spaced about the circumferenceof the barrel 10 in a common plane and are held yieldable thereagainstby the flexible brushes 8.

, It is oneof theimpo'rtant objects of the present switch to evolve astructure which will occupy a minimum amount of space and yet providefor the energization of a large number of lights, when desired. To thatend the arcuate support 6 is preferably formed and arrangedconcentrically with the barrel or drum 10, which latter is shown assecured upon a-driving shaft 12 to which power may be transmitted fromany suitable source. By arranging the wipers or brushes 8 in a commonplane it will be seen that a large number of them may be arranged in thesupport 6 to bear circumferentially-upon the drum 10, and as manyparallel series of circumferentially arranged brushes may be utilized aswill be necessary to energize a given number of lights. The barrel ordrum 1O has a surface or shell portion, as 13, preferably of conductingmaterial, and the body of the drum or barrel may be formed of anon-conducting material 10 upon which the shell 13 is mounted, andthereby insulated' from the shaft 12 and its bearing.

In order to produce intermittent or successive orsimultaneous'energization of any of the lights 2, the shell 13 is shownas provided with a series of 'circumferentially spaced apertures 14 ofsuflicient width to prevent the shoes 11 from engaging the sides of theapertures, and of such length as shoes are traversing the apertures 14,during which time the circuit from the brushes 8 to the cylinder orshell 13 will be interrupted.

In operation, the' drum 10, which is of insulating material, will berevolved by the shaft 12,-and-thus the apertures 14 will passsuccessively below the shoes 11, which are yieldably held against thesurface of the shell 13 by their resilient arms or brushes 8; As anaperture approaches and passes beneath the shoes 11, the latter willsnap quickly over upraised shoulders 15 of the drum 10; these shouldersprojecting slightly above the surface of the shell 13 and insuring thequick completion of acircuit as a shoe rides oil of the insulatingshoulders 15 and drops onto the conductor .orshell 13 which is inconstant electrical contact with a shoe 16 on'an arm17 mounted initsrespective socket 7. -To the socket 7 of the uppermost binding postdesignated ""1s connected the terminal or other main 18,

is circumferentially continuous and unin- -the non-conducting drum 10.The surface terrupted, with circuit breaking apertures 14.

As clearly shown in Fig. 1, one edge of the circuit breakin pockets orapertures 14, in theshell or cy inder 13, is cut sharply, as at 19, andthe immediate under portion of the drum 19 is relieved, as at 20, sothat as the drum revolves the shoes 11 will successively snap over theshoulder 19 and into the recess or relief 20 which is formed in of .thelatter is formed with a gradual upward rise, as at 21, terminating inthe outwardly projecting shoulder 15, oil of which the shoe will snaponto the immediately following area of the conducting shell 13 while thedrum is revolving.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a large number of lamps can bereliably and safely controlled by arranging as many brushes 8 in acommon plane circumferentially about the drum 10 with their shoesbearing tangentially upon the conducting shell 13, and as the pockets ofthe shell 13 pass successively beneath the shoes 11 of the brushes 8,the circuits to the respective lamps to which the brush conductors 4 areconnected will be interrupted. If it is desired to simultaneouslyilluminate a number of the lights at one time, this may be accomplishedby-leaving a relatively large are or area of the conductor 13imperforated, whereupon the several shoes 11 would be in simultaneousbearing and electrical contact with the surface 13 and consequentlycomplete the circuits of these respective lights.

By increasing the length of the drum with its shell 13 any desirednumber of parallel series of apertures 14 may be provided and theapertures may be electrically staggered with relation to each other inthe several series as shown in Fig. 2 in which the shoulder 15 shown insection is out of longitudinal alinement with the pocket 14 shown insection, so that a great variety of effects can be produced by theproper timing of the energization of the lamp circuits.

It is understood that a complete circuit through any one of the lampswould be as follows: Current would come in on the main lead 18, traverseits binding post 5, thence along itsbrush 17, shoe 16 onto the shell 13which at that portion traversing the shoe 16 would be iin'perforate, andthence through the shell 13 to anyof the brushes 11 I bearing thereon,thence through the respective bindin post 5 and light wires 4 to the lams 2, an from these to the return lead 3.

aving thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is- 1. An electric switch for intermittently opening andclosin electric circuits, comprising a rotary cy indrical conductor witha series of circumferentially alined apertures, a driving device andsupport for the conductor, an arcuate bearing concentrically arrangedabout the cylinder, a series of radial binding posts inserted in saidbearing, with clamps at their inner ends, and curved flexible switchblades mounted in the clamps and bearing tangentially on the c linder inthe plane of said apertures, an a switch blade and its clamp mounted onthe bearing and engaging an im erforate part of the cylinder forconstant y electrifying the same.

2. An electric switch for intermittently opening and closin electriccircuits, comprising a rotary cy indrical conductor with a series ofcircumferentially alined apertures, a driving device and support for theconductor, an arcuate bearing concentrically arranged about thecylinder, a series of radial binding posts inserted in said bearing withclam s at their inner ends, and curv flexible sw1tch blades mounted inthe clamps and bearing tangentially on the cylinder 1n the plane of saidapertures, and a switch blade and its clamp mounted-on the bearing andengaging an imperforate part of the cylinder for constantly electrifyingthe same, said support being a non-conductor and having depressions intowhich the ends of the flexible blades snap through the apertures.

3. An electric switch for intermittently opening and closing electriccircuits, comprising a rotary cylindrical conductor with a series ofcircumferentially alined apertures, a driving device and support for theconductor, an arcuate bearing concentrically arranged about thecylinder, a series of radial binding posts inserted in said bearing,with clamps at their inner ends, and curved flexible switch bladesmounted in the clamps and bearing tangentially on the cylinder in terialand a shell formed of conducting ma-- terial and placed over said body,said body and shell having registering apertures, said body also havingshoulders which lead from the apertures of the body and project bearinghaving spring arms thereon the free ends of which arms are forengagement in said apertures, said arms and apertures being soproportioned that the sides of the free ends of the arms when in saidapertures will be in spaced relation to the side walls which theapertures in the shell define. In testimony whereof I have hereunto setmy hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

NILS O. ANDERSON.

Witnesses Imam: SINNETT, W W. HEALEY,

Copies a this patent may "be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I C.

